xerothermic
by Aiko Isari
Summary: Little Kei hears things talk all of the time. One day, a bubble pops and says something very strange. Thankfully, Uncles Ken and Takeru are on the case. And so is he because he's going to help. Little Kei may have bit off more than he could chew though. An In Prayer story.
1. 1

1.

Bubbles don't have much to say.

To be fair, they also don't have very long lives so they don't get as many words as they probably should. Kei wonders, often, what would they know if they lived twice as long or even three times as long. It wouldn't be that much longer, but thinking about it makes him giggle a teensy bitty bit.

Falcor can't blow bubbles anymore, so he has to blow them for her. Sometimes his bubbles mix with those of other people and they pop together and everything babbles all together and they giggle.

Then, one day, as Kei is refilling his bubble wand, one pops near his nose.

In a little kid voice, one that's definitely not his, it says, _help me._

More and more bubbles repeat themselves, filled with the same words.

Kei, being a big, smart boy of seven, goes to get his Uncle Ken.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** _ Admittedly inspired by this little manga about a kid who can hear the voices of animals and a high schooler who used to have the ability but lost it. SO be prepared for some melancholy (since apparently that's all I do) and some fluff. Also a certain character's backstory that nobody asked for.

Challenges: Ultimate Sleuth Ch 2.2 and Diversity Writing (Digimon Anime/Manga) G53. write an OC centric fic, Original character boot camp prompt 18 - sincere


	2. 2

Ken believes him, though he's very very skeptical. That was Uncle Ken for him. He had to be skeptical or he would probably derail himself. That was what Uncle Daisuke said and he was usually right about Uncle Ken's moods.

He won't say that, of course not, that's bad and rude. Instead, Kei goes on to say he needs to find more bubbles. Ken nods along like that makes sense, but of course it doesn't. Kei doesn't really care though. The Digital World doesn't make sense either.

So he sends his Plotmon to find the bubbles again. He walks with Ken who points out to him what a suspicious person looks like and to be gentle when questioning people but not inept and admits something along the line of 'don't bring your Stingmon on a hunt unless it's hostile and Kei really wants to know if that's protocol.

Then another bubble pops and he hears another voice. It's older and slower and deeper. It's hit puberty!

It also sounds familiar.

Another pops.

Are you sure you heard it over here?

Another pop.

I'm pretty sure, yes.

Why would uncle Takeru be in the bubbles?


	3. 3

3.

For some reason, after Kei tells his Uncle Ken, he's shunted off towards home. That's really silly. He had been the one to _find_ the voice in the first place. Shouldn't he be there?

Falcor, who is a Falcor and doesn't want to admit to being one, sure thinks so. She bit Uncle Ken, and got a spanking for it too!

 _Nana_ doesn't tell him anything either but she never really does. For some reason, she's still super careful with him. He does kind of remember her yelling at him once, but not very well. It's not that important. The voice from before is important.

"You can't bring a kid to a crime scene," Terriermon chirps from his favorite perch on the kitchen cabinets. With the marshmallows. That he never shares. Meanie.

Thankfully he's not too loud.

Kei can't say he's not a kid, because he is, but still. He wants to meet whoever called for help. They must have come to him for a reason!


	4. 4

4.

Kei sits on his bed and sighs as loudly as he can, in hopes that his mothers will hear. They don't. Plotmon does and rubs her head against his chest.

"I bet they'll let you talk to that voice later, Kei." She's trying to sound mature and adult, like Mama's Tailmon. It's failing. A lot. She just sound bored and pouty. "I mean, then you'll make friends with them and stuff! Maybe that's what you're supposed to do."

Kei pet her. "I guess." He knows what she's really thinking: explosions. Destruction. Boom noises. He doesn't really like boom noises but after that documentary from 2005, his Plotmon is hooked. It's weird. And dumb.

Kei groans to himself. "I got to go fight Monochromon and stuff, why can't I go here?"

"I dunno Kei!" Falcor follows him to where he had flopped back on the bed. "I wanna go too! This is _boring._ "

Kei holds her tight. "We just gotta wait I guess."

Which was lame.

But whatever. Kei closes his eyes and decides to take a nap. Naps are very good.

It lasts about ten minutes before the earth lets out its very own boom sound effect.


	5. 5

5.

Kei doesn't know much about the worlds, but he knows from going to the Digital World that the earth going boom is really really bad. He bolts up immediately and rolls out of bed, running to find his nana standing on the balcony. Her eyes are narrowed, which means she's absolutely livid. Kei hesitates, but her black eyes flick onto him before he can escape so out he goes. She points. Terriermon is floating just overhead on the breeze, large ears flying wide.

"Nana?" He looks up at her, eyes big and worried. She doesn't smile, but instead rubs that old scar at the back of her neck.

"That is one crying kid," he says.

There are no more bubbles. But Kei feels right in his gut. He is needed, now more than ever. He doesn't really know if there's anything that he can do. But there must be, or he wouldn't have these instincts telling him anything.

"Nana?" he says in a small, tough voice that he doesn't mean. "Help me, nana."

He thinks she'll hesitate. She doesn't. She takes his hand and pulls her partner down to safe reach. Her eyes are concern and fire and she tosses her D-Terminal to him with ease even as he fumbles with his chubby fingers.

"Let's go, kiddo."


	6. 6

6.

There are potholes everywhere. Plotmon's distinct lack of balance causes them both to tumble face-forward more than once until nana gives up and throws them both over her shoulder like sacks of flour. Very noisy sacks of flour at that. It doesn't help that the ground keeps shaking either, nope that is very much a problem. Thgey are all tempted to just belly flop and crawl but it's too slow and weak and Kei cringes the further they go.

"Why is he like that, nana?"

She doesn't ask who and he thanks his lucky stars because he knows he can be too vague sometimes and it helps next to no one but it makes sense to him so isn't that enough. "Why is he like what?" she asks instead because emotions need to be specific, need to be understood in order to be dealt with properly with as little miscommunication as possible.

"Hurt. Sad. Angry." Kei thinks about it, wishes for bubbles. "Why does he want help if he's doing this?"

Noriko pauses, rubs at her neck and swings Falcor as she does it. The black barcode is dormant now, but it wasn't always. "Because being angry and sad is a lot safer than asking for help. People might say no."

"I won't say no!" Kei nods with emphasis. Falcor yawns.

Noriko smiles like her own grandma. "You're not everyone, Kei."

Kei frowns. "Of course I'm not!"

His nana laughs, sad and old and Kei thinks he's stumbled upon something profound and complicated.


	7. 7

7.

When they arrive, it's to a HolyAngemon and Stingmon dodging wild bursts of light. Craters shake the earth from such small attacks.

Kei is completely fascinated.

He can't help but stare, expression and eyes too big for his face. Sure the destruction is honestly awful and everyone must be in pain but… wow. That was some power. If they calmed that hurt person down, they could do so much good, maybe. They could be so much happier.

But saying that won't do any good. Acting like someone was better than they were made them mad. So..

Kei makes a face. "This is gonna be hard," he says to himself.

"Nothing and no one worth having is easy," his nana says with a laugh, fondly tousling his hair. "So, mister butting his nose in, any ideas?"

Falcor giggles. "You said butt."

Her Terriermon snorts right along after her and it takes all of Kei's serious bones to not do the same. Nana rolls her eyes.

"Any ideas?"

Kei pauses to think. "Um… let's find them! I dunno what they look like but that's a good place!"

It thankfully doesn't take long to find what direction. Kei remembers reading about storms. There's always an eye, with the most calm and the most destruction. It's the most peaceful place.

Of course, his uncles come over and stand in the way.

"It's too dangerous for you. You don't have the energy to fight… that." Uncle Takeru stops himself. His eyes are about, looking for his wife, looking for wherever she's carefully put herself. "Ken, has it slowed down?"

"Unfortunately no."

Kei takes this moment to dive under their legs and stop running. He doesn't look, but he can bet nana's making a face right now.

"Can't stumble this time, okay Falcor?"

His plotmon whines. "Stop calling me tha-at!"

She's listening of course. She always listens to him.


	8. 8

8.

They run and they run and then Kei hears the familiar bubble pop and it's followed by a-

- _don't touch me-_

In such loud, vivid syllables that Kei almost stumbles but he's still mid-step so he can't-

 _-leave me alone you stupid adults you don't know me you don't understand you just-_

"Not an adult!" Kei counters out loud with a beaming smile., righting himself and continuing his feverish pace.

 _-YOU'RE ALL THE SAME-_

It blares like a foghorn and Kei has to stop. He puts his hands on his hips and scuffs one foot.

"I am not!"

Pause.

It's a pause that Kei takes as he continues, hands curled into fists. "No one is the same is everyone else! Don't put people in boxes to suit you being scared!" He begins walking forward again, steady now for what he guesses is due to being used to the shattered terrain and the small quakes. "I'm not scared of you! You can do this all you want, but you're just being awful! You're hurting people and Digimon for no reason!"

 _-SHUT UP!-_

And the power crashes down onto his shoulders.

Unfortunately for his opponent, Kei is not an idiot. His Digivice had already been aglow. Plotmon's shift, hidden in the glow oncoming energy, allows for a single bound as the now Meicoomon blocks a human palm.

Well, angel's palm.

Said angel looks decisively murderous.

Kei doesn't even falter. "Falcor!"

"Mrrp!" She catches herself on all fours and then races forward again. The Lucemon floats away, fast but not fast enough to stop the claws from slashing into its torso.

The child angel wails in pain and misery. Kei steps back a little.

"You bully!" it shouts, rage warping its eyes. "I'm bleeding!"

Kei licks his lips, not sure if he should be concerned or not. "Falcor?"

"Mm!" She waves a paw. "Go!"

Kei nods and gets going.


	9. 9

9.

Kei feels it when Falcor gets hurt. He doesn't think much of it though. That's pretty normal these days. His mother had told him once that it hadn't happened when _she_ was an active Chosen Child all that often. But then, his mama had been through an entirely different type of journey and she'd been late. That was something she hated to think of. Being too late to make a difference, too late to save anyone.

Kei hates it too. Maybe the dislike is genetic.

So he hurries. He moves as quickly as he can because otherwise, it will be too late. Much like with Wizarmon, much like for Oikawa, reaching too late and they all die.

Of course, she's told him that people may end up dying no matter what, so it's important to acknowledge that you can't always win.

Unfortunately, even Kei knows this, and he's still young enough to be in constant denial of it.

So he's going to win now.

The bubbles pop. Full of screams. He's starting to wonder how this person hasn't run out of bubble soap.

… Maybe the bubbles aren't soap.

Kei decides on one of Nana's curse words and raises his hands.

"Miss Goddess!" He calls to the air. "I need your help, please! This child is being really bad and dumb! Please help me!"

For a few moments, there's only the shrieking and howling that signals Falcor having fun.

Then he's surrounded by bubbles and they all pop at the same time.

Kei bleeds all over the pavement.

 _Oopsie,_ he thinks, and then he's not thinking at all.


	10. 10

10.

Falcor, as typical of her species, loses her mind at the feeling of that pain. It doesn't last because Kei wakes up a little too fast. But she still acts with rage, slamming the angel through a wall, hard enough that his spit is red and thick and definitely not saliva. And like her species, Falcor does not stop. Not until the angel is only twitching, bleeding red. Not dead, because that would hurt her Kei too, but enough that he cannot stop her from going to him.

So she goes and quickly.

The second mother is already there. Noriko is wiping him down with a too practiced ease, she knows. She is to protect Kei, but he is always like this. He always pushed too hard because right now, he is the only one with the option presented to him. HE doesn't have to be but Falcor understands. Kei wants to protect them. Kei has decided to put them before himself.

As far as she's concerned it's stupid. They can fight as well as any human and partner. They should be made to fight.

Falcor dips her nose against his neck and Kei shudders.

"I'm here, Kei," she says softly. "I'm here. I need you. You need to be here too."

Kei only wheezes in reply and that is enough for her. She curls up and waits, the human that needed to be saved forgotten.

Then, Kei rises. The wounds are scabbing over, inhumanly fast. Falcor nudges him up instead of being scared because even though that's reasonable, it's probabl not going to work.

"Ow," he mumbles.

Noriko doesn't hug him, but she does pick him up. "Come on," she tells him. "I think you will need adult supervision, you kids."

When more bubbles appear, Terriermon spins to shatter them. Falcor is so jealous.

Kei's nana and mama are so incredible. Someday, Kei will make her the same.


	11. 11

11.

Kei realizes, a few moments too late, that people do not always want you to save them or tell them what's right. They often want to be left alone to be sad and unhappy. Occasionally they want to be heard too, but it's not very often.

They wouldn't want to be heard by a small child like himself, which is fair. But that didn't mean he couldn't and wouldn't try.

But they had left the Lucemon behind now, and he wasn't coming back. Because of Falcor's rage that would need to considered, scolded, called out upon because that was a way but not the way. At least it had worked now but still. According to his mothers, he was suffering enough as it was.

Kei reaches the cracked parking lot, panting now because he is tired from whatever he did before and because nana is a very fast walker. But she doesn't slow for him. Sometimes she does these things where she forgets he is small because he does things that are simply so big.

That or she's focused. These things also happen when she is focused.

So he follows behind. Falcor leaps after, taking three at a time. Kei's stomach grumbles and he shushes it.

And yet nana hears. She always hears.

"Don't worry," she says. "I convinced your mom to make your favorite tonight after grounding you for the next month."

Kei made a face for a moment. That meant no wandering at night for a month with Falcor. No Digital World games with the others.

But that doesn't matter. That is minor. "I'll have a new friend though," he says. "And he won't be ready to play either."

Noriko rolls her eyes. "Squirt."

But nana understands. She's even a little proud.


	12. 12

12.

They reach the apartment. Kei can only guess it's this one. There are no bubbles here, but nana has always been better at sensing things that don't belong than he has. He only can tell when things aren't right, not what those things are.

She knocks twice so he can catch his back. Then she opens the door as politely as she does when she's having too long meetings with rude parents.

The hall is too dark and Kei is glad of this. It stinks much more than it should.

And then he hears a different whisper.

 _He could have been mine._

Spiteful and angry and louder than a whisper should be but it is one.

 _If it wasn't for her and you he could have been mine. I could have made it big and stayed around, if it wasn't for her and you. And him. It's his own fault. It's not my fault I didn't know._

And then the voice of the angel. _Well, you should have. But you won't know much of anything now._

It stinks of angel dust. It stinks in that way Uncle Takeru's house did when it was cleaned recently, only rotting.

Kei doesn't understand. But nana does.

He's happy she's here.


	13. 13

13.

The small apartment is easy to navigate. It's like the one mama and nana had shared together when he was smaller, smaller and barely walking. But the difference was clear as day to him. This is not a home. This is a place to rest your head nothing more.

Children need homes.

He trails after his nana. She isn't tense. Of course not. There's only a kid here, he thinks. At least to her. To him, there's more than a child. There's a whole house of broken things and sad-hearted futures. But then, nana must know what that feeling is like herself. She never talks about where the barcode on her neck came from, or how it sometimes burns so hard she cries. She never talks about when Terriermon came to her or that their family never met with hers. They talk about none of those things and they don't have to, really.

They push open doors slowly after knocking. Nothing jumps out at them. No one attacks them. Still. Kei waits.

Then Noriko stops in front of an ajar door. "Go on Kei," she said, and not quietly either. "Say hello."

Kei squared his shoulders and pushed the door open a little. "Hi," he said. "I'm Kei. What's your name?"

There was silence.

"You can tell me in bubbles you know," he said in what _he_ thought was a reasonable tone of voice. "But most people can't hear the bubbles and I need to know your name to tell them what to call you."

He was met with silence for a little while, an awkward, trailing silence that meant nothing good most of the time.

Then a scratchy throat let out a scratchy cough, and another. Two more until they risked a dribbling word. "Hi. Hi. Hi. Hirose."

"Hiya Hirose!" Kei beamed at the voice. "I'm gonna come in there now. Can I have your hand so we can go home?"

There was a shuffle, but no actual response.

Kei took it as a yes.


	14. 14

14.

Hours later, Takeru and Ken were having a long talk, Kei and his family were at home, the police were handling the situation, and the boy named Hirose lay in a hospital bed. Cupimon sat on a chair, refusing to sleep and casting glares at the two digimon wandering in and out of the room. Neither reacted however beyond glancing back and offering what smiles they could give.

Cupimon ignored them. But he could not fight them. The cat had destroyed him, destroyed them. The very idea of rebellion would be met by that cat, who would destroy them. Therefore, these older, more powerful digimon would destroy him as well.

He would have to wait.

Except he had to keep waiting and he did not like to. Because they were giving no answers, not even some fake promises like the woman who hadn't come inside, hissing and muttering as she would.

Instead the boy and his cat came in and he talked happily to Cupimon's silent human. As if Hirose would talk to him when he hadn't talked to anyone. He wouldn't even talk to Cupimon.

But when the stranger boy rose to leave, Hirose gripped his wrist, hard, so hard. And the boy had stopped and stayed.

Cupimon trembled with envy.

It did not abate until they were alone and he was in Hirose's arms. Where he belonged. Where only he belonged.


	15. 15

15.

Hirose did not belong here.

He was sure he didn't. They had the same messy hair, the same eyes, the same skin, some of the same scars. Battle scars for him, the man had said. Not the same battles Hirose had fought, but battle scars all the same. It wasn't normal.

There was a woman there in the house too. Hirose cringed before he could control it, lips curling back. Cupimon shuddered.

The woman only smiled behind her glasses. She looked knowing, like she hadn't been told but knew what to look for, what to expect.

The man behind her introduced her and himself. They wanted to adopt him, they said. They wanted to support him, they said.

Hirose didn't believe it. But he also didn't not believe it. Where else would he go, if not with them?

And the woman held out her hand. And in it was a simple bubble formula bottle.

His chilled hands and arms, gooseflesh peeking out with his own fear, reached out before he could stop them.

But this time when he blew them onto the porch, some came back, full of that boy's happy voice. There were burns in them, blood in them, pain in them, but they were there and he was warm again.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_ ** And here is the end of _xerothermic_ , which came at a whim as I was only semi-certain of Takaishi Hirose pre-MS and once I was sure I was like, well shoot, gotta write that. Thank you for those who have enjoyed it for so long. You mean so much to me! Tune in to future _In Prayer_ updates!


End file.
